Canadian high-performance sports get $100 million boost

Gary Kingston, Vancouver Sun11.14.2012

From left, Sylvie Bernier, Assistant Chef de Mission, Chef de Mission Mark Tewksbury, closing ceremony flag bearer Christine Sinclair and COC President Marcel Aubut at the Canadian Olympic Committee closing press conference for the 2012 London Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012. Close to $100 million will be injected into the Canadian high-performance sport system over the next four years by the Canadian Olympic Committee, the COC's Marcel Aubut announced today.Mike Ridewood
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Members of Canada's silver medal winning women's rowing eight wave to fans during Canada's Olympic Committee's parade in Toronto on Friday, September 21, 2012 to mark the country's performance in the London 2012 Olympics.Chris Young
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Silver medallist Ryan Cochrane of Canada poses on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men’s 1500m Freestyle Final on Day 8 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012 in London.Clive Rose
/ Getty Images

Jean Levac-Postmedia Olympic Team Team Canada celebrates winning the silver medal in the women's eight rowing event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on Thursday.Jean Levac, Postmedia News
/ Vancouver Sun

Canada's Brent Hayden celebrates winning bronze in the men's 100m freestyle in the Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Games in London on Wednesday. Hayden won his first Olympic medal by just 4-100ths of a second ahead of the fourth-place finisher.Ed Kaiser, Postmedia Olympic Team
/ Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER — Citing the “unbelievable” support of the corporate sector, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced Wednesday it will inject nearly $100 million into high-performance sport over the next four years, double that of the previous four-year period.

“We’ve strengthened the sport system for today and, for sure, for the future,” COC president Marcel Aubut said on a conference call.

Canadian sport sustained tough financial body blows after home Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976 and Calgary in 1988 when corporate support dropped off dramatically.

And while some winter sport federations recently talked about struggling to find financial partners to fund critical development programs because of sponsorship fatigue and a faltering economy, the COC said it managed to “succeed against the book” by working extremely hard to keep long-term partners and to find new ones.

Not doing so, said the colourful Aubut, would have left amateur sport like “the Titanic facing an iceberg.

“The book says everyone [corporate sponsors] leaves. We worked so hard with the right people, the right knowledge, the right competency that we succeeded with most of them.”

Aubut said the COC was able to re-up with companies like the Bay, RBC, Suncor, General Mills, Bell Canada and Air Canada and announcements about new sponsors will be made in the coming weeks.

He said a detailed breakdown of which sports will receive money will also have to wait, but he did say the $100 million will be for both summer and winter sports and will be directed at four key priorities — high-performance sport, Olympic and other multi-sport games preparation, “best-in-class” national sport federation development and a specific envelope for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

The announcement was welcomed by leaders of Canada’s national sport federations, some of whom were on the call.

“After Vancouver [2010], we know that it’s okay to participate, but it’s a very good feeling to win and to be part of the top countries in the world,” said Marie-Claire Rouleau of Speedskating Canada. “Money makes it possible.”

Peter Giles, president of CanoeKayak Canada, said it was amazing to watch the job the COC has done in raising the profile of Canadian athletes.

“A very inspirational connection and bond has been forged and it’s exciting to see the private and corporate sector step up to the plate with this extra support.”

The money generated by COC sponsorships supplements an annual $62 million federal government commitment to sport that is funnelled through Own the Podium.

Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, praised the COC for raising funds that are critical to the success of high-performance sport. But in an interview Wednesday he reiterated comments made last month that winter sport federations like his have had to cut development programs that deliver athletes to the high-performance level.

“The [COC] can’t be all things to all people … and moving along we still have an important part of the equation to fulfill and that takes money, developing the athletes and developing the systems to create the best infrastructure and a sustainable source of athletes.”

He did acknowledge, however, that the COC and OTP are starting to “revise their mission” by looking longer term and “carving out what [an athlete development system] might look like, whether it’s academies or special training centres.”

Judge said the COC’s aggressive pursuit of corporate sponsors the last year has had some effect on the ability of winter sport federations to sign up their own sponsors.

“Although, we are targeting different groups and different partners. It’s just a matter of finding a good match.com or one of the other alternatives out there. We’re very encouraged by what we’re hearing back.”

Aubut also said on the call that the COC will work hard to create an environment where revenue generation becomes “automatic … that there is some money every year, regularly, and it’s not related to good or bad economy or good and bad humour [on the part of Canadian companies.]”

Judge said OTP helped ensure Canadian sport did not “fall off the cliff” after 2010 and the COC has clearly picked up that message.

“They’re talking a multi-pronged approach to ensure sustainability. You couldn’t ask for a partner to do more.”

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